Fertility and Reproductive Endocrinology
For many individuals and couples, getting pregnant isn’t easy. But with the right care and support, you can still achieve your dream of becoming a parent.
Reproductive endocrinologists with University of Iowa Health Care have extensive experience in fertility testing and treatments. We’re skilled at pinpointing the reason you’re having trouble getting pregnant. And we offer treatments to help you successfully conceive.
Our services include:
- Female and male fertility testing
- Fertility preservation (sperm and egg freezing, embryo freezing, and more)
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
- In vitro fertilization (IVF)
We also offer a surrogacy (gestational carrier) program for people who want to have a child but can’t carry a pregnancy.
Because we have the full range of options, you can get all the care you need here. You don’t need to spend time finding (or traveling to) multiple specialists or clinics.
We also customize your care based on factors like your age, medical history, budget, preferences, and any previous infertility treatments.
Setting new standards in fertility care
When we founded the Center for Advanced Reproductive Care in 1987, it was the first program of its kind in Iowa. Our goal was to help people with fertility challenges find high-quality reproductive care.
Since then, we’ve continued raising the bar among medical centers that offer infertility services. For example:
Our program is nationally recognized for its successful use of single embryo transfer during IVF. Instead of transferring two or more embryos in your uterus at one time, we select and transfer a single embryo. This prevents you from getting pregnant with twins or other multiples, which always comes with certain health risks.
We’re among a handful of centers in the nation to offer licensed, genetic counseling to our IVF patients. We can help you understand your odds of passing certain genetic conditions to your children. And we can screen your embryos for genetic problems before placing one in your uterus (preimplantation genetic testing).
We created Iowa’s first donor embryo program, which makes it possible for more people to have children. Instead of discarding any frozen embryos you won’t need, you can choose to donate them to other people with infertility challenges.
In addition, our success rates continuously meet or exceed national averages based on patient age and treatment type.
Evidence-based, accredited care
Some reproductive care options, including IVF and fertility preservation, involve highly technical processes and procedures. That’s why you should only choose medical centers that meet strict quality and safety standards.
For example, it takes special laboratory equipment to correctly freeze, store, and thaw eggs, sperm, or embryos. And it takes advanced expertise to collect eggs from the ovaries and fertilize them in a laboratory to create embryos.
You can trust UI Health Care for infertility care because:
We’re a member of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART):
As the nation’s leading authority on assisted reproductive technology, SART establishes quality and safety guidelines designed to keep patients safe. Medical centers can only earn membership if they adhere to these guidelines. And SART embraces transparency—each member publishes its clinical data, including success rates, on the SART website.
We offer accredited male infertility services:
Technicians in our andrology lab manage male fertility testing, sperm analysis, and sperm freezing. This lab is accredited by the College of American Pathologists and certified by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments program. We’ve earned these distinctions because our testing procedures and other services are performed correctly and accurately.
We offer accredited embryo services:
Our embryology lab helps create and store our patients’ embryos and is also accredited by the College of American Pathologists. Accreditation is only given to organizations that comply with rigorous best practices in laboratory services.
Reproductive endocrinology tests and treatments
- Fertility preservation
- Gynecological surgery
- Hysterosalpingogram (HSG)
- Hysteroscopy
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
- In vitro fertilization (IVF)
- Laparoscopy
- Medication
- Ovarian reserve testing
- Ovarian suppression
- Ovarian transposition
- Pelvic exam
- Preimplantation genetic testing
- Genetic Counseling
- Semen analysis (sperm count)
- Surrogacy
- Transvaginal ultrasound
- Ultrasound
Reproductive endocrinology conditions treated
- Blocked fallopian tube
- Cervical stenosis
- Cryptorchidism (undescended testicle)
- Cushing syndrome
- Diminished ovarian reserve
- Endometriosis
- Erectile dysfunction
- Fibroids
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypogonadism (low testosterone)
- Hyperprolactinemia
- Hypothyroidism
- Low sperm motility
- Male infertility
- Oligospermia (low sperm count)
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Premature ovarian failure
- Retrograde ejaculation
- Uterine polyps
- Varicocele
Our Care Team
- Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN)
- Pharmacy
- Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN)
- Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN)
- Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN)